"Peter" : Limitless or Limitations (Malachi 3:8-10: Genesis 7:11-8:14; Psalm 119:130)

Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat, or food, in my house, and test, or prove me, in this, says the LORD of hosts, (YHWH), the creator and originator of life, and commander of armies, and I will open upon you, the windows of Heaven, and empty out upon you my blessing, that you will not be able to contain it"

TITHES & FIRST FRUITS

The LXX (Septuagint) [Greek translation of the Old Testament] does not say "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse...", but rather, says, "...return, or restore, in this, or, on this behalf...", referring to Malachi 3:8, where the KJV says, "...you have robbed me...in tithes and offerings...", while the LXX says ".. (in) tithes and first fruits...", so that the meaning of Malachi 3:10, is "...return, or restore in this, that is, the tithes and first fruits, and I will open the windows, torrents, or floodgates of Heaven...", referring to the same extreme extent as the flood, where, literally, an ocean of water fell, all at once, on the earth, to the extent, that the highest mountain was about 50 feet under water, and it took 40 days for the heavens to finish draining, or emptying out, the massive oceans of water, and it took basically a year, for the water to evaporate enough, so that the earth was dry enough, so that they could leave the ark (Gen.7:11-8:14).

EMPTY OUT

To that same extent, the author of all life, that gives us life, and is our very breath, and commander of armies, will open the windows of heaven upon us, and empty out His blessing upon us, so that we won't be able to contain it all.

OPEN

The word "open" is very interesting, in this context. It is used 165 times in the OT, with various shades of meaning, but generally meaning, as in the English, "to open". It is interesting that 93 of the 165 uses, are in Exodus; Leviticus; Numbers; and Ezekiel, referring to the "entrance", or "opening", into the holy place in the tabernacle.

HIS PRESENCE

Psalm 119:130 says that the entrance, or ''opening'' of His words give light, and understanding, meaning revelation or illumination, from the Father, and His ways, and 93 uses of the word refer to the "entrance" or "opening" into the holy place, or into His presence, leaving the thought that entering into His presence gives us revelation and illumination of who He is; what He's like; and our relationship with Him.

PICTOGRAPHS

The word "open", comes from three pictographic letters, in the original Hebrew:

1) PEY, an oblong circle, designed to represent the mouth.

2) TAW, a cross, as in the Egyptian hieroglyphics, representing two sticks crossing each other, similar to the English euphemism, "X marks the spot", meaning a place "marked", or "a sign", and eventually, by extension, came to mean a persons "signature", representing their authority, or authorization.

3) HHETS, drawn as two parallel lines, with three vertical lines equally distanced, and joining the parallel lines together, representing, in pictographic fashion, the tent wall of the nomadic people, or, by extension, the boundaries of a people.

PETER

To pronounce the word, it would be helpful to think of the proper name "Peter", and extend the pronunciation to [Pey- Taw - Heh], with the last letter resembling the sound of a short, but forceful breath of air out of the mouth.

THE MOUTH

A very literal interpretation of the word, is that "the mouth sets the mark, or signs our authorization, establishing the wall, or boundaries of our life".

To paraphrase, God "opens" the windows of heaven in our life, by declaring with His word, what the prophet Malachi recorded, and wrote down, that He will, as we return to Him the tithe and the first fruits, "open" the windows of Heaven upon us, and 'empty out' His blessing upon us, to the extent that we will not be able to contain it; it will be overflowing.

OPEN GOD'S BLESSING

We "open" up God's blessing upon our lives, by meditating on the truth of God's word, until it becomes revelation, and then, as we begin to speak out that spiritual reality, the manifestation comes, and we establish, with our mouth, giving our authorization, by our words, the boundaries, or limitations, or limitless areas of expansion and growth, in our lives, dictated by what we say.

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours.